Jinchuan Gate.
Three grain ships docked, and strong young men stepped out of the ship one by one, carrying the grain from the ship to the temporary warehouse on the shore. It would not take long for the grain to be purchased by the court.
The imperial court's desire for food was almost bottomless. No matter how much food was shipped from other places, it was not enough for the imperial court to purchase. Because of this, the price of food in Jinling even increased by 10% compared with previous years.
Although this percentage is underestimated, it can be regarded as a rare increase in food prices in the eleventh year of the Jianwen Dynasty.
All prices in the Ming Dynasty were measured by food. When food was valuable, other corresponding things depreciated. In order to make up for the losses caused by these depreciations, prices naturally needed to increase.
It can be said that prices in Jinling are rising, but because the imperial court has a large amount of food in its hands, and the people's sentiment is stable, there are no major famines near Jinling. This price increase appears to be quite mild among all walks of life And.
"The officials who buy grain are here."
The businessman Fei Hong took off his curtain hat, swung it like a fan in his hand, and looked at the shopkeeper Beidao aside: "Go and get things done."
Beidao stood up, took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat on his face, and patted his belly with his left hand. He staggered and the boat shook violently. When he reached the shore, the boat finally stabilized.
"Shopkeeper Bei."
Lv Jiuzhang, the chief minister of Jinchuanmen Grain Warehouse, walked over with a smile and cupped his hands, followed by four Zaoli.
Beidao quickly returned the gift and stepped forward to greet him: "Lü Kucheng, I haven't seen you for two months. How are you doing?"
Lu Jiuzhang shook his head bitterly: "How can it be better? Now the court is raising food from everywhere, and we have to work day and night. It's not that we are complaining, but we can't go back even if we have a home."
"It stands to reason that food from all over the country is constantly being sent to Jinling. The granary at Jinchuanmen should have been full for a long time. Why is the imperial court still asking for food? The price of food in Jinling remains high at the moment. Wouldn't the imperial court suffer a huge loss in purchasing food at this time?"
Beidao didn't understand very much.
You must know that it was past July and a half, and the summer grain harvest had already begun. There were no major famines in the south or north, and there was no news of major production cuts in various places. This meant that the summer harvest in the 11th year of Jianwen was a good year.
In a good harvest year, there is something wrong with the court still being so nervous about asking for food.
Seeing Beidao's curiosity, Lu Jiuzhang didn't think much about it: "The imperial court's extensive purchase of grain is naturally related to the current war. This is not a secret. All people in the Ming Dynasty know that now the Tatars, Oara, and Japanese are not honest, and even the people in the southwest are not honest. The chieftain also started to become restless, and the court was attacking everywhere, where is the need for food?"
Beidao naturally knew that marching and fighting required a huge amount of food. As far as the sergeants were concerned, eating during the war was
The amount of food may be twice as much as during daily training, not to mention there is a huge logistics team eating food.
However, even so, Jinling does not need to purchase too much food.
According to my own calculations, the food reserves in Jinling are likely to exceed two million dan. This amount, let alone the front line, is enough food for the front line, and the rest is enough for everyone in Jinling to eat for a while.
What was the purpose of such a large-scale grain storage? What was Emperor Jianwen's purpose in preparing grain?
Beidao remained calm and said with a smile: "If the court has needs, we businessmen should also give full support. Without the emperor's support of our business over the years, who would have the good life now? Haha, Lu Kucheng, as long as Just tell me, we will buy more grain and deliver it right away. What do you think, next time our ship will dock here, or go to Tianjin or Tongzhou?"
Lu KuSeeing that Beidao was so cheerful and a good businessman who supported the imperial policy, Lv Ku said bluntly: "If possible, more grain can be sent to Guangzhou. , Go to Quanzhou."
"ah?"
Beidao was a little surprised and immediately asked: "Can there be wars in Guangzhou, Guangdong and Quanzhou, Fujian?"
Lu Kucheng shook his head slightly and said seriously: "It's not that there is a war there, but that there is a need for a lot of food. I don't know the specific reason. I only know that the imperial court is speeding up the construction of granaries in coastal ports, and the specifications are no less than a million stones. . Of course, it could be Nan
There is some trouble abroad, and the Navy needs logistics. "
Beidao asked a few questions, but Lü Kucheng was not sure, so he didn't ask any more questions and pointed to the grains on the side: "Lü Kucheng, these grains are collected from Jiangxi. They are all new grains. You can check them one by one before entering." Library."
Lu Kucheng nodded slightly and looked at Zaoli behind him. Zaoli understood and picked up the poke to check the grain.
Friendship is friendship, and familiarity is familiarity, but there is still no less official work to do.
After the inspection was completed and it was confirmed that the grain quality and dryness and humidity were up to standard, Lu Kucheng arranged for Zaoli to find a clerk to weigh the batch of grain, issue a receipt, and hand the receipt to Beidao.
Beidao has long been familiar with this routine. He only needs to take the bill to the Account Department. After receiving the confirmation bill, the Account Department will compare the two bills. After confirming that they are correct, they will pay the treasure banknotes to complete the transaction.
The ship left the pier and parked in the harbor.
The boatman and his crew got off the boat and entered a small courtyard.
Beidao told Fei Hong the whole situation, and Fei Hong looked confused: "The places that need food most right now shouldn't be Peking, Datong, Gansu and other places? Why did the imperial court go in the opposite direction and regard Guangzhou and Quanzhou as important granary areas? Stock up on food?"
"This is really puzzling."
The flesh on Beidao's face trembled with confusion.
Fei Hong thought about it for a while, then stood up and said, "If something goes wrong, there must be a monster! With Emperor Jianwen's intelligence, he will never miss the target. Guangzhou and Quanzhou have prosperous overseas trade, and the navy is nearby. This kind of arrangement, It is probably related to the navy. The navy is a huge variable. Now that the main forces of the Southeast Navy and Donghai Navy are not in Jinling, it is a perfect opportunity. Once they return, no one on the Yangtze River can be their opponent!"
Beidao nodded heavily: "The most worrying thing is that all the main forces in the navy are die-hard loyalists of Emperor Jianwen. If something happens to Emperor Jianwen, they may not bow their heads. Once chaos breaks out, ancient and modern people may not be able to control the situation. .”
Fei Hong sighed: "So, matters related to the navy must be reported."
Beidao looked at Fei Hong, his eyes full of worry: "Now there are constant undercurrents in Jinling City, and the Security Bureau seems to have noticed something, and has secretly deployed additional forces. According to intelligence, someone has seen Fengyang Lin Zhaoxue in Jinling. This information was discovered by us through accidental investigation, but no one from inside reported the news! What's more, death orders have been issued in ancient and modern times. If there is no urgent matter, no one will do it. Allow us to take the initiative to contact you."
Fei Hong sat down helplessly, picked up the tea bowl, and put it down before taking a sip: "Then let's report together after burning the granary. It won't take a few days for this batch of grain to be delivered to the warehouse. , there should be a fire, right? Once the granary outside Jinchuan Gate is burned, there will be chaos in Jinling City!"
Beidao said confidently: "Don't worry, no one will notice what we do. In seven days, within seven days, there will be a fire."
There was a cruel smile on Fei Hong's lips.
The granary outside Jinchuan Gate is the ballast stone for grain prices in Jinling. It is the largest granary in Jinling and plays an important role in stabilizing grain prices. However, if this large granary disappears, millions of dan or even 2 million dan will be lost. If all the food is burned, the price of food in Jinling will suddenly increase!
The people couldn't buy food even with their money. The situation would be in chaos, the imperial court's majesty would be wiped out, and Zhu Yunwen would lose the support of the people. At the most critical moment, Gu and Jin will come out to stabilize the situation, win the hearts and minds of the people, and control Jinling!
Food is a weapon.
If you want to blame, blame it on Zhu Yunwen. He was so conceited that he put so much food in a large warehouse! Everyone knows that eggs cannot be put in one basket, but he did not understand this truth.
The grain was poured into the granary, and some things that looked like rice grains were buried in the rice. Under the heavy pressure, the grains cracked, and an unknown liquid slowly flowed out, and some were white grains...
